What do you want out of life right now? Romans 14:17 says “The
Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating or drinking but of Righteousness,
Peace and Joy in the Holy Spirit.” When we think of the Kingdom of God, we
often think of the future i.e. Heaven. There is so much talk of God’s Love and
Grace and Forgiveness all of which are amazingly valid. However, as it goes
with the human race, we tend to let the pendulum swing way to one side or the
other. We sing the little song, “Heaven is a wonderful place, filled with Glory
and Grace. I wanna see my Savior’s face. Heaven is a wonderful place.” We can’t wait
to get there. But, what about the here and now? We eat, we drink, we live. How?
Is our attitude one of “I can live however I want because His Grace and Love
forgive me”? Most of us who call ourselves Believers would say “’Heavens’ no”!
Yet, in fact, how are we living? What are we allowing into our lives because we
believe such? I have one of my first Bibles around the house somewhere and there
is a note taped inside the cover. It goes something like this: “Anything that
robs you of your closeness to Him, no matter how big or how small, to YOU it is
sin.” Yes, God loves us, obviously! But, he is still a Father. I have a friend who wrote this song years ago.
One of the lines are, “I have a Father who watches over me. He kinda makes me
tow the line but he also makes me free.” Freedom ironically comes from towing the
line; line being the precepts of the Lord. Line upon line, precept upon precept
we live. We literally live life to the fullest. Not with a life of self-gratification
but of a life focused on building up the treasures that are eternal in value, the
things of Righteousness, Peace and Joy. It is not humanly possible to exist without
the desire for self-gratification. It is only possible as we walk and live
according to the Spirit of God. Jude 17-22 with emphasis on verse 20: “But, you
dear Friends, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the
Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our
Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.” I want to make it clear. There
is nothing wrong with self-gratitude, loving yourself and appreciating who you are.
For those of you who understand my meaning, you deserve the last piece of pie
on the plate. You have to love and forgive yourself to love and forgive others.
I want the following verse ever before my spiritual eyes, “The thief comes to
steal, kill and destroy. But, I have come that you might have life and life
more abundantly.” Spoken by Jesus. I want to spur others on to be alert and watch
out for the “thieves” who will rob you of the things of the Kingdom. I want to
inherit the Kingdom now and for Eternity.
